Built for the love of music...

SCAudiophile · Nov 16, 2017

Here is the system as it stands today,...the current configuration has evolved this year to be magical to my ears and people who stop by for a listen as to how it conveys musical realism, energy and imaging in the room. The latest power cord, speaker jumper, digital cable and master clock settings have really opened up and unleashed the components' and speakers' potential. I'm very happy with where things are today and am trying to take some time just to sit back, listen!

Currently;

TAD Reference 1 MkII Speakers w/Stillpoints ULTRA5 Footers (6)
Esoteric Audio P-02 Dual-Mono Transport
Esoteric Audio D-02 Dual-Mono DAC
Cybershaft UPOCXO-01-OP21 Custom Premium Limited OP21 OCXO 10 mHz Master Clock
Esoteric Audio C-02 Dual-Mono Preamp
Esoteric Audio A-02 Master Soundworks Dual-Mono Stereo Amp
IsoTek EVO3 SIGMAS Power Conditioner
IsoTek EVO3 TITAN Power Conditioner
IsoTek EVO3 OPTIMUM C19-20amp->Neutrik Powercon 5-meter (Umbilical TITAN->SIGMAS)
Granite Audio Ground Zero Star-Grounding Station
Avatar Acoustics Afterburner8 Duplex Outlets (5)
Cutler-Hammer, GE MLC and EP 20amp Dedicated Circuit (10gauge)
Environmental Potentials EP-2050 Wave-Form Correct & Surge Suppression
Environmental Potentials EP-2750 Ground Filters
Whole-House Ground CADWELD Kit & Dual Ground Rods
Adona Corporation AV45CS4 and AV45CS1 (multiple)
Composite Audio CF-2010 Platforms (multiple)
Harmonic Resolution Systems DPX Large Damping Plates Silver (5)
Harmonic Resolution Systems DPS Large Damping Plates Black (3)
Harmonic Resolution Systems DPX Medium Damping Plates Black (2)
Stillpoints Ultra SS with Ultra Bases (4) under Cybershaft UPOCXO-01-OP21
Elrod Systems Statement Gold Speaker Cables 9-foot (1 pair)
Elrod Systems MASTERS SERIES STATEMENT GOLD Speaker Jumpers (2 pair)
Elrod Systems Statement Gold XLR 6-foot (1 pair)
Elrod Systems Statement Gold XLR 4-meter (1 pair)
Shunyata Research SIGMA AES/EBU XLR 110-ohm 2-meter (2)
Shunyata Research SIGMA CLOCK-50 50-ohm BNC:BNC 2-meter (3)
Esoteric/MEXCEL 8N-A2000 BNC:BNC 50-ohm 1.5-meter Master Clock Cable (2)
Elrod Systems MASTER SERIES Statement Gold PC, 10-foot, 15-Amp (Furutech FI-50 NCF)
Elrod Systems MASTER SERIES Statement Gold PC, 9-foot, 15-Amp (Furutech FI-50 NCF)
Elrod Systems MASTER SERIES Statement Gold PC, 10-foot, 20-Amp (Furutech FI-50 NCF)
Elrod Systems MASTER SERIES Statement Gold PC, 10-foot, 20-Amp (Furutech FI-50 NCF)
Elrod Systems Statement Gold 15-amp 10-foot PC (Oyaide M1F1)
Elrod Systems Statement Gold 15-amp 6-foot PC (Oyaide M1F1)
Elrod Systems Statement Silver PC 10-foot 15-amp (Furutech FI-48)
B.M.C. PureUSB1 5-meter

Computer Audio/Rip Playback: Alienware 17R4, Intel Core i7-7820HK 2.9 GHz (over-clocked 4.4 GHz), UHD 120Hz 3840x2160 4K LCD Display, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD (Music Library, Playback S/W & O/S here), 1 TB SATA HD, NVidia GeForce GTX 1070, Windows 10 Pro (Optimized), Amarra LUXE, iTunes, Esoteric HR Player, Cyberlink PowerDVD 16 Ultra, 4Media, dbPowerAmp, Wondershare DVD and Audio Ripping and Conversion/Playback tools,…

Photos:

Shadowfax · Nov 16, 2017

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

tom_hankins · Nov 16, 2017

Very Nice! Thanks

jadedavid · Nov 16, 2017

Congrats, looks great with well thought out cable placement. I can only imagine how good it sounds.
Grab a toddie, sit back and enjoy.
You deserve it.

SCAudiophile · Nov 16, 2017

Shadowfax, tom_hankins, jadedavid: Thank you all very much!!!

Anybody know how to expand the photos from thumbnails to more fullsize in a post?

Alpinist · Nov 16, 2017

Hi Mark,

What a beautiful system from top to bottom! Definitely a labor of love. Such meticulous attention to detail, the dressing of your cables is amazing.

Enjoy,
Ken

SCAudiophile · Nov 17, 2017

Alpinist said:
Hi Mark,

What a beautiful system from top to bottom! Definitely a labor of love. Such meticulous attention to detail, the dressing of your cables is amazing.

Enjoy,
Ken

Thank you very much! Taking it down, cleaning, moving and re-assembling is like going to the gym

Better yet,..the way it sounds makes it all worthwhile!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the music!

XCop5089 · Dec 2, 2017

Fantastic system and great care and attention paid to ancillaries and the routing of cables.

SCAudiophile · Dec 2, 2017

XCop5089 said:
Fantastic system and great care and attention paid to ancillaries and the routing of cables.

Thank you very much!!!

joeinid · Dec 2, 2017

Unbelievably beautiful setup. I love the attention to detail. I wish I only had a fraction of your dedication. Thank you for sharing. I bet it sounds amazing.

Just curious, I can't figure out what to the left of the left speaker on the stand. IsoTek?

audio.bill · Dec 2, 2017

joeinid said:
Unbelievably beautiful setup. I love the attention to detail. I wish I only had a fraction of your dedication. Thank you for sharing. I bet it sounds amazing.

Just curious, I can't figure out what to the left of the left speaker on the stand. IsoTek?

I think you've got it, an IsoTek with an HRS damping plate on top for good measure!

SCAudiophile · Dec 2, 2017

joeinid said:
Unbelievably beautiful setup. I love the attention to detail. I wish I only had a fraction of your dedication. Thank you for sharing. I bet it sounds amazing.

Just curious, I can't figure out what to the left of the left speaker on the stand. IsoTek?

Thank you Joe...very much appreciate the compliments/comments. The system does a great job producing finely detailed and beautiful music.....Thanks Again!

SCAudiophile · Dec 2, 2017

audio.bill said:
I think you've got it, an IsoTek with an HRS damping plate on top for good measure!

Exactly...that's an Isotek EVO3 TITAN to drive my Esoteric A-02 amp. It has an HRS Damping plate on top (as does the rest
of the my gear) The TITAN has an Isotek EVO3 OPTIMUM power cord coming out the back via Neutrik Powerconn as an
umbilical to deliver power to an Isotek EVO3 SIGMAS for my front-end gear. The 2 power conditioners then function as
as a single power backplane for the system. Going into the TITAN from the wall is an Elrod MASTERS SERIES STATEMENT
GOLD power cord,....best I've ever owned or otherwise heard!

Spock · Dec 8, 2017

Beautiful!

The attention to the detail is absolutely important for those who pursuit the excellence in sound reproduction.

Congratulations!

sharkmouth · Dec 9, 2017

Thanks for sharing this magnificent system. Do you get the very infrequent time where the top-end is noticeable. I ask for, the only reason, TAD & Esoteric are both to the core...

SCAudiophile · Dec 9, 2017

Spock said:
Beautiful!

The attention to the detail is absolutely important for those who pursuit the excellence in sound reproduction.

Congratulations!

Thank you very much for the positive comments; I agree 100% with your 2nd sentence!

SCAudiophile · Dec 9, 2017

sharkmouth said:
Thanks for sharing this magnificent system. Do you get the very infrequent time where the top-end is noticeable. I ask for, the only reason, TAD & Esoteric are both to the core...

Thank you for the positive comments! If by 'noticeable' you mean harsh or overly bright, fatiguing, etc...the answer is a definite "No!".
The TADs and Esoteric are consistently able to portray the most extreme high frequencies with all the great musical detail, transients, air,
etc....in any recording that I play back but with my choice of power, analog, speaker and digital cables, I have never heard them portray
harshly in any of the frequency bands from deep bass on up even into the highest frequency spectrum. I hear beautiful, lush, extremely
musical bass, mids, highs and inner detail. Occasionally there is a truly bad recording or one that was laid down particularly 'hot'; several
come to mind however the TADs give the truth of what is on the disc but I've never experienced audiophile "ear bleed"

with even the
worst of them due to how I've got everything connected and the level of break-in hours I've got into the speakers themselves.

JGlacken · Dec 9, 2017

Wow, congrats on a super system. And who said cables don't matter? LOL
I think I found a new best friend. Greenville is not very far from Hilton Head!
I wonder if my wife would understand if I tried to explain Elrod to her.

SCAudiophile · Dec 9, 2017

JGlacken said:
Wow, congrats on a super system. And who said cables don't matter? LOL
I think I found a new best friend. Greenville is not very far from Hilton Head!
I wonder if my wife would understand if I tried to explain Elrod to her.

Thank you very much! PM me and we can talk anytime next week Monday onward once I get back from the trip I am on late Sunday night!

Good luck explaining Elrod cables to your wife; I've been trying to figure out to do it so that the conversation about "big, crazy, insane audio cables"
does not return to haunt me since 2010 and I've not yet found a way to do it. Before 2010 it was someone else's not quite as large but still "too big
by WAF standards" so the problem never ends,...BUT if I have to go through WAF hell on big cables, Elrod is THE ONE I will defend for power, analog
and speaker cables until someone pries them out of my dead fingers as they say

!

Same point for Shunyata's new SIGMA level digital cables! Alot of great and not so great digital cables have come and gone over the years for AES, HDMI,
S/PDIF 75-ohm and 50-ohm clocking & other digital, some staying as long as over 4 years without being bested but this latest generation of SIGMA from Shunyata
is the undisputed champ when it comes to resetting my expectations of just how great a digital cable can be and my system along with it!

All said from the point of view of a home user, no dealer or other status or affiliation.

Let's talk soon and thanks again for the great comments!

CPP · Dec 11, 2017

A beautiful system thank you for sharing

Built for the love of music...

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